Now that the trade deadline is a few weeks in the rear-view mirror, and the playoffs are quickly approaching, teams’ rosters seem to be pretty close to set. With that in mind, it seems like a good time to take another crack at a Seattle Kraken expansion mock draft.
Some teams traded away players that may have been protected in my first mock, others added players with term and are likely to be protected. A few players signed extensions with their teams, moving them from pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) to protection candidates. Many teams’ lists are slightly altered, and some are the same.
One of the requirements regarding the Seattle selections is that 20 of the 30 selections must be under contract for the upcoming 2021-2022 season, so they will not be able to select more than 10 players who are pending UFAs or restricted free agents (RFAs). That requirement is met in this mock with exactly 20 selections under contract for next season.
The protected lists in this mock reflect a shift in philosophy from my previous draft. In the prior article, I included a large number of pending UFAs in the protected lists, given my expectation that those players would be returning to their teams on new contracts. After researching further, it became apparent that teams are willing to leave pending UFAs unprotected and sign those players after the expansion draft, but prior to the opening of free agency. This is, in part, because the expansion franchise doesn’t gain much from drafting those players. If the player wants to sign with Seattle, in this case, the Kraken would be better suited to wait until free agency to sign the player and select someone else in the expansion draft. Teams know this reality and will likely use it as a way to informally protect extra players.
Anaheim Ducks
Protecting 8 Skaters/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Jakob Silfverberg (2) Rickard Rakell (3) Troy Terry (4) Sam Steel
Defensemen- (1) Cam Fowler (2) Hampus Lindholm (3) Josh Manson (4) Haydn Fleury
Goalie- John Gibson
Notables Exempt- (1) Trevor Zegras (2) Max Comtois (3) Jamie Drysdale
Notable UFA- (1) Ryan Getzlaf
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Adam Henrique (2) Max Jones (3) Derek Grant (4) Isac Lundestrom (5) Kevin Shattenkirk (6) Alexander Volkov
The Pick- Adam Henrique (31-year-old Center, 3 years/$5.825 million AAV Remaining)
A notable shift comes right off the bat as I have the Kraken taking the veteran, Henrique, over the young prospect, Lundestrom. This is, in part, due to a shift in the protected lists of other teams, which will be shown later. Seattle will need to sprinkle veteran leaders with proven talent throughout their roster, and Henrique will be a nice fit in their top six.
Arizona Coyotes
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Clayton Keller (2) Phil Kessel (3) Nick Schmaltz (4) Christian Dvorak (5) Conor Garland (6) Christian Fischer (7) Lawson Crouse
Defensemen- (1) Oliver Ekman-Larsson (2) Jakob Chychrun (3) Kyle Capobianco
Goalie- Darcy Kuemper
Notable Exempt- (1) Barrett Hayton
Notable UFA- (1) Alex Goligoski (2) Niklas Hjalmarsson (3) Jordan Oesterle (4) Derick Brassard (5) Antti Raanta
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Tyler Pitlick (2) Johan Larsson (3) Frederik Gauthier (4) Adin Hill
The Pick- Adin Hill (24-year-old Goalie, RFA)
Another area in which significant changes will be seen in this mock compared to the first is between the pipes. The goaltenders selected in this draft are a much different group than the prior. Hill has shown flashes in Arizona and makes a lot of sense of the Kraken. At only 24, he still has plenty of time to develop into a quality NHL netminder. He doesn’t need to be a contributor right away, however, as Seattle must take at least 3 goaltenders.
Boston Bruins
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Patrice Bergeron (2) David Pastrnak (3) Brad Marchand (4) Charlie Coyle (5) Craig Smith (6) Jake DeBrusk (7) Trent Frederic
Defensemen- (1) Charlie McAvoy (2) Matt Grzelcyk (3) Brandon Carlo
Goalie- Daniel Vladar
Notable Exempt- (1) Jeremy Swayman (2) Jack Studnicka
Notable UFA- (1) David Krejci (2) Sean Kuraly (3) Tuukka Rask (4) Jaroslav Halak (5) Taylor Hall (6) Mike Reilly
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Ondrej Kase (2) Curtis Lazar (3) Nick Ritchie (4) Chris Wagner (5) Karson Kuhlman (6) Connor Clifton (7) Jakub Zboril (8) Jeremy Lauzon
The Pick- Nick Ritchie (25-year-old Left Wing, RFA)
By moving Krejci and Rask from protected to pending UFA, the Bruins are able to protect the promising young goalie, Vladar, as well as Craig Smith, whose play has improved dramatically since the Bruins acquired Hall at the trade deadline. The final forward protected came down to Smith and Ritchie, and Smith was the pick because of the cost certainty provided by the two years remaining on his current contract. Ritchie, a pending RFA, will need a new deal, and Boston has many other contract decisions to work out with players like Krejci, Rask and Hall. Seattle will have no issues affording Ritchie and he has a chance to grow into a strong power forward with more playing time.
Buffalo Sabres
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Jack Eichel (2) Jeff Skinner (3) Sam Reinhart (4) Victor Olofsson (5) Anders Bjork (6) Tage Thompson (7) Casey Mittelstadt
Defensemen- (1) Rasmus Ristolainen (2) Rasmus Dahlin (3) Henri Jokiharju
Goalie- Dustin Tokarski
Notable Exempt- (1) Dylan Cozens
Notable UFA- (1) Jake McCabe (2) Linus Ullmark
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Cody Eakin (2) Zemgus Girgensons (3) Colin Miller (4) Will Borgen
The Pick- Will Borgen (24-year-old Right-shot Defenseman, RFA)
The only significant changes in Buffalo this year were departures amongst their pending UFAs, as many were traded to contending teams around the deadline. In terms of the pick for Seattle, Borgen continues to look like the best option. Young defensemen are a commodity, and I would think Seattle has this player on their radar.
Calgary Flames
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Matthew Tkachuk (2) Johnny Gaudreau (3) Sean Monahan (4) Mikael Backlund (5) Elias Lindholm (6) Andrew Mangiapane (7) Dillon Dube
Defensemen- (1) Mark Giordano (2) Noah Hanifin (3) Rasmus Andersson
Goalie- Jacob Markstrom
Notable Exempt- (1) Jusso Valimaki
Notable UFA- (1) Josh Leivo (2) Derek Ryan
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Chris Tanev (2) Matthew Phillips (3) Milan Lucic (Officially waived No Move Clause)
The Pick- Matthew Phillips (23-year-old Center, RFA)
Milan Lucic officially waving his no move clause impacted this mock significantly. Prior to this, I was locked in on Mikael Backlund being left unprotected and ultimately selected by the Kraken. Lucic, had he not waived, would have been required to be protected. He is unlikely to be selected by Seattle, given his salary and his production in recent seasons. Making this move allows the team to protect a player like Backlund, while Lucic, in all likelihood will get to remain in Calgary, which he is said to prefer. Phillips becomes an intriguing option in this slot, given the changes, as he is only 23 and has put up impressive point totals in both junior hockey and the American Hockey League (AHL). This type of upside is hard to come by and should intrigue the Seattle front office.
Carolina Hurricanes
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Sebastian Aho (2) Jordan Staal (3) Teuvo Teravainen (4) Nino Niederreiter (5) Vincent Trochek (6) Warren Foegele (7) Andrei Svechnikov
Defensemen- (1) Jaccob Slavin (2) Brett Pesce (3) Jake Bean
Goalie- Alex Nedeljkovic
Notable Exempt- (1) Martin Necas
Notable UFA- (1) Dougie Hamilton (2) James Reimer (3) Petr Mrazek (4) Jordan Martinook (5) Brock McGinn
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Jesper Fast (2) Brady Skjei (3) Jake Gardiner
The Pick- Jesper Fast (29-year-old Right Wing, 2 years/$2 million AAV remaining)
Carolina made a prudent move at the trade deadline by sending Fleury to Anaheim, as the Hurricanes would not have been able to protect him, and were likely to lose him for nothing. The move also eliminated the player who may have been the most interesting for the Kraken. Now, in this mock, they pivot to Fast, a solid two-way winger on a manageable contract for only two more seasons. He can come in and contribute in, likely, a middle-six role and won’t put the team in a salary cap bind during the two seasons remaining on his contract.
Chicago Blackhawks
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Patrick Kane (2) Jonathan Toews (3) Alex DeBrincat (4) Dylan Strome (5) Adam Gaudette (6) Henrik Borgstrom (7) Alex Nylander
Defensemen- (1) Duncan Keith (2) Riley Stillman (3) Nikita Zadorov
Goalie- Kevin Lankinen
Notable Exempt- (1) Dominik Kubalik (2) Pius Suter (3) Kirby Dach (4) Adam Boqvist
Notable Retired- (1) Brent Seabrook (2) Andrew Shaw
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Brett Connolly (2) Ryan Carpenter (3) David Kampf (4) Malcolm Subban (5) Connor Murphy
The Pick- Connor Murphy (28-year-old Right-shot Defenseman, 1 year/$3.85 million AAV remaining)
The defenseman left unprotected by Chicago will likely be the selection. One player from the group of Stillman, Zadorov and Murphy would be expected to be available, as it is doubtful the Blackhawks would ask Keith to waive his no move clause. On the surface, protecting a 23-year-old who has played less than Murphy this season could seem questionable. However, Chicago gave Stillman a 3-year extension, after acquiring him near the deadline, for a reason. They clearly like the player and shouldn’t be expected to leave a young defenseman with cost certainty unprotected. If he were available, Stillman would be the selection, but in this case, Murphy makes the most sense.
Colorado Avalanche
Protecting 8 Skaters/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Mikko Rantanen (2) Nathan MacKinnon (3) Andre Burakovsky (4) Nazem Kadri
Defensemen- (1) Cale Makar (2) Samuel Girard (3) Devon Toews (4) Ryan Graves
Goalie- Pavel Francouz
Notable Exempt- (1) Bowan Byram (2) Conor Timmins (3) Alex Newhook
Notable UFA- (1) Gabriel Landeskog (2) Philipp Grubauer (3) Brandon Saad (4) Matt Calvert (5) Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (6) Carl Soderberg
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Valeri Nichushkin (2) Tyson Jost (3) Jonas Johansson (4) Erik Johnson* (5) Joonas Donskoi (6) J.T. Compher
*Waived No Movement Clause (in this mock)
The Pick- Valeri Nichushkin (26-year-old Wing, 1 year/$2.5 million AAV remaining)
Two key developments that must occur for this mock protected list to play out are Landeskog not reaching an extension agreement prior to the draft, and Johnson officially agreeing to waive his no move clause. If both of those occur, Colorado would be able to protect its 4 young defensemen and its top 4 forwards eligible for selection (and, essentially, 5, given the expectation that Landeskog eventually gets extended). This protected list would allow them to maintain the core of their roster that has many predicting them to be a Stanley Cup contender for years to come. Nichushkin becomes the pick for the Kraken because of his size and scoring touch around the net. In a bigger role, which is potentially available in Seattle, he could blossom into a solid second-line winger.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Cam Atkinson (2) Max Domi (3) Patrik Laine (4) Boone Jenner (5) Oliver Bjorkstrand (6) Jack Roslovic (7) Kevin Stenlund
Defensemen- (1) Seth Jones (2) Zach Werenski (3) Vladislav Gavrikov
Goalie- Joonas Korpisalo
Notable Exempt- (1) Alexandre Texier (2) Liam Foudy (3) Elvis Merzlikins (4) Emil Bemstrom
Notable UFA- (1) Brandon Dubinsky
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Gustav Nyquist (2) Dean Kukan
The Pick- Dean Kukan (27-year-old Left-shot Defenseman, 1 year/$1.65 million AAV remaining)
No major changes for the Blue Jackets in regards to the expansion draft. They traded away a couple of pending UFAs, including captain Nick Foligno who could return in free agency. The three protected defensemen remain unchanged, leaving Kukan available for Seattle. At 27, and with a low cap hit, he profiles as a prime candidate to be taken this summer.
Dallas Stars
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Tyler Seguin (2) Jamie Benn (3) Joe Pavelski (4) Alexander Radulov (5) Roope Hintz (6) Denis Gurianov (7) Radek Faksa
Defensemen- (1) Esa Lindell (2) John Klingberg (3) Miro Heiskanen
Goalie- Ben Bishop
Notable Exempt- (1) Joel Kiviranta (2) Jake Oettinger (3) Jason Robertson
Notable UFA- (1) Andrew Cogliano (2) Blake Comeau (3) Jamie Oleksiak (4) Sami Vatanen
Top Choice for Seattle- (1) Jason Dickinson (2) Andrej Sekera (3) Anton Khudobin
The Pick- Jason Dickinson (25-year-old Center, RFA)
Although there were no changes in the protected list for Dallas between this and the prior mock, the selection has changed from Khudobin to Dickinson. Based on other netminders available in the draft, Khudobin doesn’t need to be taken here, allowing the Kraken to pick up a 25-year-old center instead. Dickinson has shown well in a fairly limited role in Dallas and would be a candidate for more playing time in Seattle.
Detroit Red Wings
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Dylan Larkin (2) Jakub Vrana (3) Tyler Bertuzzi (4) Robby Fabbri (5) Michael Rasmussen (6) Adam Erne (7) Evgeny Svechnikov
Defensemen- (1) Troy Stecher (2) Filip Hronek (3) Dennis Cholowski
Goalie- Kaden Fulcher
Notable Exempt- (1) Filip Zadina
Notable UFA- (1) Darren Helm (2) Marc Staal (3) Luke Glendening (4) Bobby Ryan (5) Jonathan Bernier (6) Valtteri Filppula
Top Options for Seattle- (1) Frans Nielsen (2) Vladislav Namestnikov (3) Thomas Greiss
The Pick- Vladislav Namestnikov (28-year-old Right Wing, 1 year/$2 million AAV remaining)
Given the lackluster numbers from Greiss this season, as well as his salary cap hit, Detroit may be willing to leave him unprotected in order to ensure they can retain the younger Fulcher. Greiss could be selected, but Namestnikov makes more sense in that he is a versatile forward who can play on the wing or at center, and has had productive seasons in the past, albeit more-so while playing with elite talent in Tampa Bay. With only one year remaining on the deal, this would be a fairly low risk choice where there aren’t many options to choose from.
Edmonton Oilers
Protecting 8 Skaters/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Connor McDavid (2) Leon Draisaitl (3) Kailer Yamamoto (4) Dominik Kahun
Defensemen- (1) Darnell Nurse (2) Oscar Klefbom (3) Ethan Bear (4) Caleb Jones
Goalie- Alex Stalock
Notable Exempt- (1) Evan Bouchard
Notable UFA- (1) Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2) Tyson Barrie (3) Mike Smith (4) Adam Larsson (5) Alex Chiasson (6) Tyler Ennis
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) James Neal (2) Zack Kassian (3) Jesse Puljujarvi (4) Kris Russell (5) Mikko Koskinen
The Pick- Jesse Puljujarvi (22-year-old Right Wing, 1 year/$1.175 million AAV remaining)
The biggest decision for the Oilers, aside from attempting to extend players like Nugent-Hopkins and/or Barrie, will likely be the final forward protected (presuming they want to protect 4 defensemen). Kahun has played well this season with Draisaitl, and Puljujarvi has seemed to want out of the organization in the past. With that in mind, Puljujarvi is left unprotected and selected by the Kraken.
Florida Panthers
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Jonathan Huberdeau (2) Aleksander Barkov (3) Patric Hornqvist (4) Frank Vatrano (5) Anthony Duclair (6) Carter Verhaeghe (7) Sam Bennett
Defensemen- (1) Aaron Ekblad (2) Keith Yandle (3) MacKenzie Weegar
Goalie- Sergei Bobrovsky
Notable Exempt- (1) Eetu Luostarinen (2) Owen Tippett
Notable UFA- (1) Alexander Wennberg (2) Chris Driedger (3) Brandon Montour (4) Nikita Gusev (also exempt)
Top Options for Seattle: (1) Markus Nutivaara (2) Lucas Wallmark (3) Noel Acciari (4) Anton Stralman (5) Radko Gudas (6) Mason Marchment
The Pick- Markus Nutivaara (26-year-old Left-shot Defenseman, 1 year/$2.7 million AAV remaining)
Bennett has been excellent since he was acquired from Calgary and joins the Panthers’ protected list, replacing Borgstrom, who was traded to Chicago. The remainder of the Panthers’ list remains unchanged, again leaving Nutivaara available. A young forward like Marchment warrants consideration from the Kraken but, in the end, the value of a proven NHL defenseman with a reasonable cap hit is too much to pass up.
Los Angeles Kings
Protecting 8 skaters/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Anze Kopitar (2) Alex Iafallo (3) Adrian Kempe (4) Austin Wagner
Defensemen- (1) Drew Doughty (2) Sean Walker (3) Matt Roy (4) Kale Clague
Goalie- Cal Petersen
Notable Exempt- (1) Quinton Byfield (2) Alex Turcotte (3) Arthur Kaliyev (4) Mikey Anderson
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Dustin Brown (2) Lias Andersson (3) Blake Lizotte (4) Olli Maatta (5) Jonathan Quick (6) Andreas Anthanasiou (7) Brendan Lemieux (8) Carl Grundstrom (9) Kurtis MacDermid
The Pick- Carl Grundstrom (23-year-old Left Wing, 1 year/$725,000 AAV remaining)
During the last mock, Iafallo was a pending UFA and Jeff Carter was protected. In my preview of the West division, I speculated that Carter could become a trade candidate this season, and he ended up being traded to Pittsburgh (more on this to come below). On deadline day, Iafallo inked an extension with the Kings, resulting in him taking Carter’s spot on the protected list. The selection likely comes down to two players in this slot: Andersson and Grundstrom. Grundstrom was taken in this mock as he is under contract for next year, which helps to meet the requirement.
Minnesota Wild
Protecting 8 Skaters/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Zach Parise (2) Mats Zuccarello (3) Kevin Fiala (4) Joel Eriksson Ek
Defensemen- (1) Jared Spurgeon (2) Ryan Suter (3) Matt Dumba (4) Jonas Brodin
Goalie- Cam Talbot
Notable Exempt- (1) Kirill Kaprizov
Notable UFA- (1) Marcus Johansson (2) Nick Bonino (3) Ian Cole (4) Nick Bjugstad
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Victor Rask (2) Marcus Foligno (3) Jordan Greenway (4) Carson Soucy (5) Nico Sturm (6) Kaapo Kahkonen
The Pick- Carson Soucy (26-year-old Left-shot Defenseman, 2 years/$2.75 million AAV remaining)
One of the teams leaving Seattle with a handful of great options is Minnesota. They, arguably, have 5 protection-worthy defensemen, as well as at least 5 or 6 forwards, not to mention multiple netminders. Spurgeon, Suter, and Brodin all have no move clauses, meaning the only way for the Wild to protect Dumba is to go the 8-skater route. This means they can only protect 4 forwards, and Soucy is still unprotected as well. Greenway, Sturm and Kahkonen could all interest Seattle, but the defenseman with cost certainty, Soucy, is the choice.
Montreal Canadiens
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Jonathan Drouin (2) Josh Anderson (3) Tyler Toffoli (4) Brendan Gallagher (5) Artturi Lehkonen (6) Jesperi Kotkaniemi (7) Jake Evans
Defensemen- (1) Shea Weber (2) Jeff Petry (3) Ben Chiarot
Goalie- Carey Price
Notable Exempt- (1) Nick Suzuki (2) Alexander Romanov (3) Cayden Primeau (4) Cole Caufield
Notable UFA- (1) Tomas Tatar (2) Philip Danault (3) Joel Armia (4) Eric Staal (5) Erik Gustafsson
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Joel Edmundson (2) Jake Allen
The Pick- Joel Edmundson (27-year-old Left-shot Defenseman, 3 years/$3.5 million AAV remaining)
Montréal is another team with no changes amongst their protected list. The pick, however, did change from the previous mock. Allen hasn’t had the best season, despite having some strong games, and the emergence of other, younger options allows the Kraken to shift their interest. Proven, top-four, defensemen in their prime won’t be common in this draft, so it would make sense for Seattle to pounce here, taking Edmundson.
Nashville Predators
Protecting 8 Skaters/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Matt Duchene (2) Filip Forsberg (3) Viktor Arvidsson (4) Luke Kunin
Defensemen- (1) Roman Josi (2) Ryan Ellis (3) Mattias Ekholm (4) Dante Fabbro
Goalie- Juuse Saros
Notable Exempt- (1) Eeli Tolvanen
Notable UFA- (1) Pekke Rinne (2) Mikael Granlund (3) Erik Haula
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Ryan Johansen (2) Colton Sissons (3) Matt Benning (4) Connor Ingram (5) Calle Jarnkrok (6) Nick Cousins
The Pick- Nick Cousins (27-year-old Center, 1 year/$1.5 million AAV remaining)
Nashville is another team that has 8 players highly likely to be protected; their 4 defensemen force them to go the route of 8 skaters instead of 7 forwards and 3 defensemen. Johansen’s salary cap hit is likely to keep him from being selected, although Seattle will likely at least consider him. Cousins has had a strong year for the Predators and plays a high-energy game that would be a welcome addition to many rosters in the league, including the Kraken. His contract is one that could bring good value to Seattle next season.
New Jersey Devils
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Nico Hischier (2) Andreas Johnsson (3) Jesper Bratt (4) Miles Wood (5) Pavel Zacha (6) Nick Merkley (7) Yegor Sharangovich
Defensemen- (1) Damon Severson (2) Will Butcher (3) Jonas Siegenthaler
Goalie- Mackenzie Blackwood
Notable Exempt- (1) Jack Hughes (2) Jesper Boqvist (3) Nolan Foote (4) Ty Smith
Notable UFA- (1) Ryan Murray (2) Aaron Dell
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) P.K. Subban (2) Janne Kuokkanen (3) Nathan Bastian
The Pick- P.K. Subban (31-year-old Right-shot Defenseman, 1 year/$9 million AAV remaining)
Adding Siegenthaler at the deadline filled the fairly open position as the third protected defenseman for the Devils, as Subban has seemed likely to be left unprotected for a while. Last mock, Murray was protected simply to ensure Subban wasn’t. Now Siegenthaler fills the slot and Murray slides to his correct place as a pending UFA. The other notable change is protecting Sharangovich instead of Kuokkanen. Sharangovich has quietly had one of the stronger rookie seasons in the NHL and doesn’t look to be someone worth leaving unprotected. Any of the 3 options left open above could interest Seattle, but with cap space to work with and Subban only being on a one-year deal, the Kraken bring in a well-known player to ignite and connect with the fanbase.
New York Islanders
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Mathew Barzal (2) Anders Lee (3) Brock Nelson (4) Jordan Eberle (5) Josh Bailey (6) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (7) Anthony Beavillier
Defensemen- (1) Ryan Pulock (2) Adam Pelech (3) Nick Leddy
Goalie- Semyon Varlamov
Notable Exempt- (1) Oliver Wahlstrom (2) Noah Dobson (3) Ilya Sorokin
Notable UFA- (1) Kyle Palmieri (2) Travis Zajac (3) Casey Cizikas (4) Andy Greene
Top Options for Seattle- (1) Cal Clutterbuck (2) Leo Komarov (3) Matt Martin (4) Kieffer Bellows (5) Scott Mayfield (6) Sebastian Aho
The Pick- Kieffer Bellows (22-year-old Left Wing, RFA)
There has been some, although not prevalent, speculation that Varlamov could be left unprotected, in what I would presume to be an attempt for the Islanders to free up cap space and increase playing time for Sorokin. However, given that Sorokin is exempt, keeping the Russian goaltending tandem together makes more sense to me. It takes multiple quality netminders to win in this league and the Islanders are fortunate to have their duo. Bellows remains the pick as a young player with high upside that likely won’t break the bank with his second NHL contract.
New York Rangers
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Artemi Panarin (2) Chris Kreider (3) Mika Zibanejad (4) Ryan Strome (5) Pavel Buchnevich (6) Filip Chytil (7) Brett Howden
Defensemen- (1) Jacob Trouba (2) Ryan Lindgren (3) Libor Hajek
Goalie- Alexandar Georgiev
Notable Exempt- (1) Adam Fox (2) Alexis Lafreniere (3) Kaapo Kakko (4) Igor Shesterkin (5) K’Andre Miller
Notable UFA- (1) Brendan Smith (2) Jack Johnson
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Julien Gauthier (2) Tony Deangelo (3) Anthony Bitetto
The Pick- Julien Gauthier (23-year-old Right Wing, RFA)
The current construction of the Rangers puts them in one of the more enviable positions heading into the expansion draft. The core of their team includes a handful of players so early in their careers that they are exempt, including Norris Trophy candidate Adam Fox. With New York able to maintain its core players, there aren’t a ton of noteworthy options for Seattle. Gauthier, a young winger, may have the most upside here, making him the pick.
Ottawa Senators
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Evgeni Dadonov (2) Colin White (3) Connor Brown (4) Brady Tkachuk (5) Logan Brown (6) Drake Batherson (7) Vitaly Abramov
Defensemen- (1) Thomas Chabot (2) Josh Brown (3) Victor Mete
Goalie- Marcus Hogberg
Notable Exempt- (1) Tim Stutzle (2) Josh Norris (3) Erik Brannstrom
Notable UFA- (1) Derek Stepan (2) Artem Anisimov (3) Ryan Dzingel
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Austin Watson (2) Nikita Zaitsev (3) Matt Murray (4) Chris Tierney (5) Nick Paul (6) Michael Amadio
The Pick- Michael Amadio (24-year-old Center, RFA)
Ottawa is in a similar situation as the Rangers, even though the Senators are further behind in the rebuild process. There are a couple of more intriguing options compared to New York, but youth and upside will once again decide the pick in this mock. Matt Murray could be worth consideration, if Seattle management believes his struggles this year have more to do with the team in front of him than his individual play. Amadio is the pick here, however, especially as a young centerman, and Murray has a high cap hit that doesn’t reflect recent performance.
Philadelphia Flyers
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Claude Giroux (2) Jakub Voracek (3) Kevin Hayes (4) Travis Konecny (5) Sean Couturier (6) Scott Laughton (7) Nolan Patrick
Defensemen- (1) Ivan Provorov (2) Travis Sanheim (3) Philippe Myers
Goalie- Carter Hart
Notable Exempt- (1) Joel Farabee (2) Morgan Frost
Notable UFA- (1) Brian Elliott
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) James van Riemsdyk (2) Shayne Gostisbehere (3) Justin Braun (4) Robert Hagg (5) Oskar Lindblom
The Pick- Shayne Gostisbehere (27-year-old Left-shot Defenseman, 2 years/$4.5 million AAV remaining)
This has been an underwhelming season in Philadelphia, leading many to think Laughton, previously a pending UFA, could be traded. Instead, he was rewarded with an extension, which results in him needing to be protected. Lindblom comes off the list and becomes an option for Seattle, although Gostisbehere remains this pick, for now. The promise he showed earlier in his career isn’t forgotten around the league, and a change of scenery may be what he needs to rediscover his best play.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Sidney Crosby (2) Evgeni Malkin (3) Jake Guentzel (4) Jason Zucker (5) Bryan Rust (6) Brandon Tanev (7) Jeff Carter
Defensemen- (1) Kris Letang (2) Brian Dumoulin (3) Marcus Pettersson
Goalie- Tristan Jarry
Notable Exempt- (1) John Marino (2) Pierre-Olivier Joseph
Notable UFA- (1) Colton Sceviour (2) Cody Ceci
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Jared McCann (2) Teddy Blueger (3) Zach Aston-Reese (4) Mark Jankowski (5) Mike Matheson (6) Chad Ruhwedel (7) Juuso Riikola (8) Kasperi Kapanen (9) Casey DeSmith
The Pick- Kasperi Kapanen (24-year-old Right Wing, 1 year/$3.2 million AAV remaining)
The Carter trade makes a significant impact on the Pittsburgh protected list. The Penguins likely wouldn’t bring in a player of his pedigree just to leave him exposed this summer. Because of this, he takes Kapanen’s spot on the protected list. With Kapanen now available, he immediately becomes a viable option for the Kraken. He is only 24 and one of the most talented forwards available in this mock and will become an offensive centerpiece in Seattle come the fall.
San Jose Sharks
Protecting 8 Skaters/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Logan Couture (2) Timo Meier (3) Tomas Hertl (4) Ryan Donato
Defensemen- (1) Erik Karlsson (2) Marc-Edouard Vlasic (3) Radim Simek (4) Christian Jaros
Goalie- Martin Jones
Notable Exempt- (1) Mario Ferraro
Notable UFA- (1) Marcus Sorensen (3) Patrick Marleau
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Evander Kane (2) Brent Burns (3) Alex True
The Pick- Alex True (23-year-old Center, RFA)
After selecting Burns in the first mock, the Kraken go in a different direction this time around. Cap space is one of the biggest assets in the league today, and selecting a player with such a high cap hit and 4 years left on his contract doesn’t seem like a prudent move. Based on some other changes from other teams, defense will still be a position of strength for the Kraken without Burns, allowing Seattle to take a promising young forward in True.
St. Louis Blues
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Ryan O’Reilly (2) Vladimir Tarasenko (3) Brayden Schenn (4) Oskar Sundqvist (5) Sammy Blais (6) Robert Thomas (7) Jordan Kyrou
Defensemen- (1) Torey Krug (2) Colton Parayko (3) Vince Dunn
Goalie- Jordan Binnington
Notable UFA- (1) Jaden Schwartz (2) Tyler Bozak (3) Mike Hoffman (4) Carl Gunnarsson
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Justin Faulk (2) Zach Sanford (3) Ivan Barbashev (4) David Perron
The Pick- David Perron (32-year-old Left Wing, 1 year/$4 million AAV remaining)
Had Seattle made all of the picks in the first mock draft, their biggest issue would have been scoring. Pivoting to Perron with their pick from the Blues should help that potential problem. He is an older player, but with only one year remaining on his contract, the goal-scorer should be a nice fit in the Seattle top-six. He was an impactful player in Vegas during their first season, so he has shown his ability to play well for an expansion franchise already in his career.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Nikita Kucherov (2) Steven Stamkos (3) Brayden Point (4) Yanni Gourde (5) Anthony Cirelli (6) Mathieu Joseph (7) Mitchell Stephens
Defensemen- (1) Victor Hedman (2) Mikhail Sergachev (3) Cal Foote
Goalie- Andrei Vasilevskiy
Notable UFA- (1) Blake Coleman (2) Barclay Goodrow
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Ondrej Palat (2) Tyler Johnson (3) Alex Killorn (4) Pat Maroon (5) Ryan McDonagh (6) Erik Cernak
The Pick- Erik Cernak (23-year-old Right-shot Defenseman, 2 years/$2.95 million AAV remaining)
Tampa Bay will be losing a quality player in this draft, in all likelihood. There are just too many talented players in that organization that are eligible for selection. The Lightning likely will not want to lose Foote, and have to expose both McDonagh and Cernak as a result. This is a team that could be likely to try to work a deal with the Kraken to alleviate some of the Lightning’s impending salary cap issues. They may also try to work some trades prior to the expansion draft. As the list currently stands, and without projecting one of the wide variety of trades that could be negotiated with Tampa Bay, Cernak will be the selection.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Protecting 8 Skaters/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Auston Matthews (2) John Tavares (3) Mitchell Marner (4) William Nylander
Defensemen- (1) Jake Muzzin (2) T.J. Brodie (3) Morgan Rielly (4) Justin Holl
Goalie- Jack Campbell
Notable Exempt- (1) Ilya Mikheyev (2) Nick Robertson (3) Rasmus Sandin
Notable UFA- (1) Zach Hyman (2) Nick Foligno (3) Wayne Simmonds (4) Alex Galchenyuk (5) Joe Thornton (6) Zach Bogosian (7) Frederik Andersen (8) Riley Nash
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Travis Dermott (2) Alex Kerfoot
The Pick- Travis Dermott (24-year-old Left-shot Defenseman, RFA)
In the previous mock, Toronto protected 7 forwards and 3 defensemen rather than the 8 skaters they do in this scenario. With a top-heavy forward group, the four protected here are vital to their roster. Their defense has been the lesser portion of their roster in recent memory, and the current group has been much improved, making it important to keep as much of it in tact as possible moving forward. Holl has been a great fit on their back end, and becomes the 4th defenseman protected. This leaves Kerfoot as a potential option for the Kraken, but the young defenseman, in Dermott, remains the pick.
Vancouver Canucks
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Brock Boeser (2) Bo Horvat (3) J.T. Miller (4) Tanner Pearson (5) Tyler Motte (6) Matthew Highmore (7) Elias Pettersson
Defensemen- (1) Nate Schmidt (2) Olli Juolevi (3) Brogan Rafferty
Goalie- Thatcher Demko
Notable Exempt- (1) Nils Hoglander (2) Quinn Hughes
Notable UFA- (1) Alex Edler (2) Brandon Sutter
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Loui Eriksson (2) Antoine Roussel (3) Jay Beagle (4) Tyler Myers (5) Kole Lind (6) Braden Holtby (7) Jake Virtanen
The Pick- Braden Holtby (31-year-old Goalie, 1 year/$4.3 million AAV remaining)
Pearson signed an extension with the Canucks prior to the trade deadline, adding him to the group of protected forwards. Virtanen moves off of the protected list, given his off-ice issues that currently have him on leave; those issues make him less likely to be taken by the Kraken. Holtby becomes the selection here after performing better after Vancouver’s extended COVID pause. His contract only has one year remaining and his presence should benefit the younger netminders that will join him in Seattle.
Washington Capitals
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Nicklas Backstrom (2) T.J. Oshie (3) Tom Wilson (4) Lars Eller (5) Anthony Mantha (6) Daniel Sprong (7) Conor Sheary
Defensemen- (1) John Carlson (2) Justin Schultz (3) Dmitry Orlov
Goalie- Ilya Samsonov
Notable Exempt- (1) Martin Fehervary (2) Alexander Alexeyev (3) Connor McMichael
Notable UFA- (1) Alex Ovechkin (2) Henrik Lundqvist (3) Zdeno Chara (4) Michael Raffl
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Evgeny Kuznetsov (2) Brenden Dillon (3) Vitek Vanecek (4) Nick Jensen (5) Trevor van Riemsdyk (6) Nic Dowd (7) Garnet Hathaway
The Pick- Vitek Vanecek (25-year-old Goalie, 1 year/$716,667 AAV remaining)
Before any Capitals fans panic, I simply expect Ovechkin to wait to sign until after the expansion draft, allowing both Sheary and Sprong to be protected. Washington’s desire to keep both of their young goaltenders will be interesting to monitor as the expansion draft approaches. Doing so likely won’t be cheap as Seattle could ask for significant compensation in return for not selecting whichever goalie the Capitals expose. Samsonov has the higher ceiling, it seems, so Vanecek is exposed (for now). The price may just be too high for Washington to keep him, so Vanecek, in this scenario, becomes the opening night starter for the Kraken. (Depending on playoff performance, the Capitals could protect Vanecek, leaving Samsonov to become Seattle’s choice.)
Winnipeg Jets
Protecting 7 Forwards/3 Defensemen/1 Goalie
Forwards- (1) Blake Wheeler (2) Kyle Connor (3) Mark Scheifele (4) Nikolaj Ehlers (5) Pierre-Luc Dubois (6) Adam Lowry (7) Andrew Copp
Defensemen- (1) Josh Morrissey (2) Neal Pionk (3) Logan Stanley
Goalie- Connor Hellebuyck
Notable Exempt- (1) Cole Perfetti
Notable UFA- (1) Paul Stastny (2) Mathieu Perreault (3) Trevor Lewis (4) Derek Forbort (5) Tucker Poolman (6) Laurent Brossoit (7) Jordie Benn
Top Choices for Seattle- (1) Mason Appleton (2) Nathan Beaulieu (3) Sami Niku (4) Dylan DeMelo
The Pick- Mason Appleton (25-year-old Center, 1 year/$900,000 AAV remaining)
Lowry signing an extension cements him into the protected list, rounding out the 7 forwards. Morrissey and Pionk are highly likely to be protected, but there are a couple of options for the third spot. Stanley has shown growth throughout the season and provides great size, so he will be safe in this mock. DeMelo or Niku could interest the Kraken, should they be searching for more players on the back end, but Appleton looks like a solid depth forward and could contribute in a third line role in Seattle. At 25-years-old with a low salary cap hit, he is the choice in this slot.
Seattle’s 30 Selections by Position
Forwards (17)
Adam Henrique
Nick Ritchie
Matthew Phillips
Jesper Fast
Valeri Nichushkin
Jason Dickinson
Vladislav Namestnikov
Jesse Puljujarvi
Carl Grundstrom
Nick Cousins
Kieffer Bellows
Julien Gauthier
Michael Amadio
Kasperi Kapanen
Alex True
David Perron
Mason Appleton
Defensemen (10)
Will Borgen
Connor Murphy
Dean Kukan
Markus Nutivaara
Carson Soucy
Joel Edmundson
P.K. Subban
Shayne Gostisbehere
Erik Cernak
Travis Dermott
Goalies (3)
Adin Hill
Braden Holtby
Vitek Vanecek
All salary cap date courtesy of CapFriendly
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